U.S. and Russian Officials Meet to Discuss Ukraine War
PBS FRONTLINE’s 2024 duPont-Columbia Award winning documentary “20 Days in Mariupol”
by Laine Immell, 2024-25 duPont Fellow
In a stunning development, officials from the United States and Russia met in Saudi Arabia on Tues., Feb. 18 to discuss ways of bringing the war in Ukraine to an end. The two countries also began talks on “improving their diplomatic and economic ties” according to The Associated Press. No Ukrainian officials were present at the meeting, which marked a complete about-face in the U.S. position in this war.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the AP after the meeting that they agreed to accomplish three goals: re-establish proper staffing at embassies in both Washington and Moscow, create a team to explore peace talks with Ukraine, and boost relations and economic ties between the United States and Russia.
Ukraine’s absence coincided with multiple false statements by President Donald Trump this week, including incorrect claims that Ukraine started the war with Russia and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is “a dictator without elections.” In response, President Zelensky said that the American president was living in a “web of disinformation.” Zelensky has made it clear that the lack of Kyiv’s presence at these meetings means that his country will not accept any outcomes from the talks.
Europe is also concerned by Ukraine’s lack of invitation. The United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote in an op-ed in the Daily Telegraph that Ukraine has to be involved in future talks, “because anything less would accept Putin’s position that Ukraine is not a real nation.”
After three years of war between Ukraine and Russia, the duPont-Columbia Awards has honored multiple projects for their diligent reporting of the conflict:
Most recently, the documentary film Porcelain War won this past January for its intimate and human look at the indomitable spirit of the Ukrainian civilians fighting to defend their country. The film follows a team of creators in war-torn Kharkiv as they balance their identities as both artists and soldiers. The 2025 duPont winner is also up for an Academy Award this March.
In 2024, PBS FRONTLINE’s Academy-Award winning documentary 20 Days in Mariupol also won the duPont-Columbia Award. The film follows a team of journalists trapped in the beleaguered Ukrainian city Mariupol as they struggle to document the atrocities their country faces from the Russian invasion. Watch the entire film here.
The New York Times’ investigation, “Caught on Camera, Traced by Phone: The Russian Military Unit ThatKilled Dozens in Bucha” also won a 2024 duPont. Using cutting edge technology, the NYT discovered the likely culprits for the murders of dozens of Ukrainian civilians under Russian military occupation in the town of Bucha. Explore the entire investigation here.
In 2023, CNN Worldwide won the duPont-Columbia Award for their unyielding coverage of the war in Ukraine from the moment the first shots rang out. From breaking news on the frontlines, to the heart-wrenching stories of refugees and Ukrainian locals, CNN’s coverage was sweeping and in-depth.
Also in 2023, PBS NewsHour and Jane Ferguson won the Award for their coverage of the fall of Afghanistan & the war in Ukraine. Their reporting of the war in Ukraine covered from the frontline to the plight of migrants across the world, keeping the nation informed. Find their Ukraine coverage here.